'Idol' host Ryan Seacrest says watching WSB-TV inspired him to work in TV

Before he was hosting 'LIVE with Kelly and Ryan' and 'American Idol,' Ryan Seacrest was just a kid in Georgia watching WSB-TV.

Channel 2's Justin Wilfon caught up with the Dunwoody native on the day of last season's 'Idol' finale and talked about everything from the Braves to biscuits -- even WSB-TV.

Seacrest said that long before he hit the 'American Idol' stage, watching former Channel 2 Anchor John Pruitt inspired him to want to be on television.

“One of the first live newscasts I ever watched was John Pruitt anchoring the news and that’s when I realized that I get a rush being around live TV,” Seacrest told Wilfon.

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The radio and television host graduated from Dunwoody High School and went to the University of Georgia before eventually ending up in Hollywood.

He says it's bittersweet having a Georgia contestant on the show.

“To see Caleb go back and go to a Braves game, I did get a bit nostalgic and miss home a little bit," Seacrest said. "We were talking about the Southern biscuits, that his mom makes and it made me a little hungry.”

Seacrest says his busy schedule as a co-host of 'LIVE with Kelly and Ryan' and his radio shows make it hard for him to get home for a visit.

"I used to get home a lot more than I do now... but my mother still lives out there in that area, and she still has my room set up exactly the same," Seacrest said. "So I’ll be home soon.”

Seacrest also told Wilfon his mom still get the forecast from Severe Weather Team 2 every morning.

Cox Media Group